Agenda item

This urgent item has been added with the Chair’s agreement and at the request of the EYCY PDS Panel following the Panel’s consideration of the Call-in of the original Cabinet decision.  The documents for Cabinet’s consideration will be tabled at the meeting.

Councillor Liz Hardman in a statement said that the proposed cuts were too deep.  She felt that Cabinet had failed to respond adequately to the recommendations of the Panel or of the Minority Report.  She had asked for a cost benefit analysis but this had not been provided.  She repeated her request that an assurance be given that no cuts would take place before April 2015.  She reminded Cabinet that volunteers did a great job but were not obliged to turn up.  Rather than allocating money for cycle paths, she would have preferred to use it on keeping Children’s Centres running effectively.

Councillor Eleanor Jackson in a statement said that Cabinet would be held to account for cuts in Children’s Centres.  She asked Cabinet to reconsider its plans because she felt that what was required was a 2-year plan for delivering essential services.

Councillor Dine Romero said that she had already responded directly to all of the Panel’s recommendations.  Here formal response had been attached as Appendix 2 to the report and she would be asking Cabinet to approve those responses.  She had explained to the Panel that not all of the questions can be answered until a model for the future service is confirmed.  The Panel also asked for a timetable, which she said has now been provided (Appx 3 of the report).  The model would be in place by March 2015.  She had not, however, given any assurances that no cuts would be found to be necessary before then.

She moved the proposals.

Councillor Simon Allen seconded the proposal.  He confirmed that the whole Cabinet had discussed the issue in depth.  He would rather have been able to avoid the current situation but the council was faced with very tough challenges and he reminded those who had Called-in the previous decision that they had offered no alternatives.  He supported the approach offered by Councillor Romero and seconded the proposals because it was essential that services should be targeted towards the most vulnerable.  He emphasised that no Children’s Centre would be closed.

Councillor Ben Stevens supported the proposals.  He responded to Councillor Hardman by observing that transferring the one-off capital funding for cycle paths to pay for the recurring revenue costs of Children’s Centres was not allowed and not feasible.

Councillor Katie Hall observed that savings had to be found across the Council.  She stressed the importance of Early Years intervention but said that a model must be found which would deliver the service within the available budget.

Councillor David Bellotti regretted any reduction to services for children and young people.  The current circumstances offered an opportunity to reconsider how services were delivered.  Given that central Government had put more funds into health visors, this would be a good time to refocus the service.  He emphasised however that there was no intention to replace all paid staff by volunteers.

Councillor Bellotti thanked Councillor Sally Davis and the PDS Panel for their hard work.  He observed that all of the Panel’s recommendations had been accepted by Cabinet.  The only recommendation not accepted was the one asking Cabinet to reject the budget agreed by Council in February 2013.  Cabinet had given assurances that other services would not be cut in order to refinance the Early Years Service.  He reminded Cabinet that the Government had not yet confirmed the new Budget settlement, so it was not fair of others to ask Cabinet to commit to particular Budget items at this stage.

Councillor Paul Crossley repeated that the Cabinet did not take any cuts lightly.  But the model for delivery of this service was being reconsidered in the light of the Budget agreed by Council in February.  Offers to get involved had been received from a number of organisations, which he felt was very promising and would lead to inevitable change, with new partners.  He looked forward to all 4 political groups working together to determine the best way forward.

Councillor Romero affirmed that she would engage with a variety of providers and partners to come up with a model for delivery of a service which would meet the needs of those most vulnerable.

On a motion from Councillor Dine Romero, seconded by Councillor Simon Allen, it was

RESOLVED (unanimously)

(1) To NOTE the outcome of the call-in by the Early Years, Children and Youth PDS Panel;

(2) To AGREE the response to each of the recommendations of the Panel report and the Minority report (Appx 2 of the report);

(3) To AGREE the consultation and decision timeline (Appx 3 of the report); and

(4) To REQUEST that the Early Years, Children and Youth PDS Panel receive a presentation from Officers on the developing model at its meeting in January 2014.